PHYSICAL  EDUCATION: 

®Ije  onlti  Solib  Jomtbatiou  of  fttoral  anir  Intellectual  GIul- 
tnro  anir  IDetreiopment : 

imitr  c i ts£ 

AN  FEB  1 7 1937 

ADDRESS  n r.~  nm,, 

DELIVERED  BEFORE 

THE  LINN  JEAN  ASSOCIATION 


PENNSYLVANIA  COLLEGE,  GETTYSBURG,  PA, 


At  the  Annual  Commencement,  Sept.  19th,  1851. 


BY  WASHINGTON  L.  ATLEE,  M.  D., 

Professor  of  Medical  Chemistry  in  the  Medical  Department  of  Pennsylvania  College. 


GETTYSBURG: 

PRINTED  BY  H.  C.  NEINSTEDT. 

1851. 


UNIVERSITY  OF 
ILLINOIS  LIBRARY 
As  URB ANA-CHAMPAIGN 
OAK  STREET 


PUBLISHED  BY  REQUEST. 


In  exchange 
Peabody  Institute 
Baltimore 

AL/G  2 1928 


( OCT  15  1930 

V duplicate 


ADDRESS. 


Gentlemen  of  the  Linncean  Association  : 

Upon  accepting  the  invitation  to  address  you  on  the  present  oc- 
casion, the  question  naturally  presented  itself,  how  I could  best 
fulfil  the  important  duties  of  such  an  appointment.  Accustomed 
all  my  life  to  the  practical  and  onerous  duties  of  a laborious  pro- 
fession, and  engaged  at  present,  unceasingly,  in  the  most  active 
period  of  a medical  life,  I find  myself  having  little  relish  for  pur- 
suits of  a different  character,  and  less  time  to  appropriate  to  their 
consideration.  Having  no  ambition  beyond  that  of  excellence  in 
my  chosen  profession,  I have  aimed  at  nothing  beyond,  while  the 
effort  of  many  years  devoted  to  that  single  aim,  has  so  warped  my 
mind,  that  I find  it  difficult  to  turn  off  the  current  of  thought  into 
a channel  entirely  new'. 

Hence,  in  the  selection  of  a subject,  my  principal  motive  having 
been  to  be  useful  and  instructive,  it  was  requisite  not  to  depart  from 
the  path  of  my  ordinary  pursuit.  I have,  therefore,  thrown  to- 
gether a few  thoughts  on  physical  education,  as  being  the  only 
solid  foundation  of  moral  and  intellectual  culture  and  development, 
believing  that  the  very  circumstance  of  my  experience  in  the  study 
and  practice  of  my  calling,  will  necessarily  give  an  authoritative 
bearing  to  my  exposition  of  the  subject.  It  is  a subject,  however, 
too  extensive  and  abstruse,  to  be  well  discussed  within  the  narrow 
limits  of  the  hour  prescribed  for  a popular  lecture,  but  if  I can  do 
no  more  than  impress  you  with  a sense  of  its  value,  I shall  con- 
sider that  hour  most  profitably  employed.  Sir  Thomas  Brown 
says,  u While  1 study  to  find  out  how  I am  a little  world,  1 find 
myself  something  more  than  the  great  one.”  Warburton  remarks 
that,  w of  all  literary  exercitations,  none  are  of  so  immediate  con- 
cern to  ourselves  as  those  which  let  us  into  a knowledge  of  our 
own  nature  ; for  these  alone  improve  the  heart,  and  form  the  mind 
to  wisdom.”  Pope  says,  u the  proper  study  of  mankind  is  man.” 
Aud  when  we  turn  to  the  Book  of  books,  we  see  it  written  on  the 


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very  first  page,  in  the  language  of  God  himself,  44  Let  us  make  man 
in  our  own  image,  after  our  likeness  ] ” thus  exhibiting  the  exalted 
nature  of  our  enquiry,  and  the  intimate  and  perpetual  connection 
between  our  physical  and  spiritual  being. 

By  physical  education  I mean  that  attention  to  the  body  which 
maintains  it  in  a state  of  the  most  perfect  health,  and  consequently 
that  which  best  fits  it  for  all  its  uses,  physical,  moral  and  intellec- 
tual. Physical  education,  then,  should  begin  with  the  first  breath 
of  life,  and  end  only  with  our  earthly  existence.  We  come  into 
this  world,  almost,  as  it  were,  mere  physical  beings,  composed  of 
plastic  materials,  capable  of  being  moulded  into  nearly  any  form, 
and  capable  of  receiving  almost  any  moral  and  intellectual  impress. 
Utterly  passive,  the  most  helpless  of  all  created  existences,  devoid 
of  almost  every  attribute  of  mind,  save  instinct,  and  possessing  in- 
stinct even  in  a low  degree,  v/e  enter  life  claiming  and  requiring 
peculiar  care  and  sympathy.  Destitute  as  we  are  at  this  period, 
we  yet  possess  faculties  and  powers,  which,  rightly  directed,  are 
capable  of  inconceivable  results.  We  taste,  we  feel,  we  see,  we 
hear,  and  every  impression  made  by  external  things  upon  our  del- 
icate senses,  assists  in  the  development  of  our  reason,  and  lays  the 
foundation  of  our  ideas ; and  thus  the  realities  and  facts  44  of  the 
world  we  inhabit  are  gradually  reflected  from  within  us,  and  an 
ideal  universe  is  created,  amid  the  marvels  of  which  the  rational 
spirit  expatiates  forever.”  Hours,  days,  years  roll  on  before  ma- 
ture development  is  attained  in  physical  organization,  and  it  is  not 
until  then  that  the  mind  acquires  its  greatest  vigor.  In  proportion 
as  we  improve  in  the  condition  of  our  corporeal  functions,  we 
strengthen  in  intellectual  powers,  and  the  progressive  growth  of 
the  body,  and  its  maintenance  in  a state  of  high  health,  is  essen- 
tial to  the  perfect  ripening  of  the  mind — showing  an  intimate  and 
necessary  relation  between  both.  In  all  stages  of  bodily  develop- 
ment, which  follow  a regular  progression  to  maturity,  we  observe 
that  the  physical  is,  comparatively,  the  index  to  the  mental.  In- 
fancy, childhood,  adolescence,  manhood,  are  severally  marked  by 
obvious  distinctions,  while  these  defined  stages  of  life  maintain,  in 
both,  a direct  and  most  remarkable  correspondence.  This  fact  il- 
lustrates most  happily,  in  a general  way,  what  I desire  here  to  de- 
monstrate more  particularly — that  the  state  of  the  mind  is  in  im- 
mediate relation  with  the  present  condition  of  the  body — that 
health  of  body  is  essential  to  the  fullest  manifestation  of  mental 


5 


* 


power — that  every  change  in  the  state  of  the  body  is  a change  in 
the  experience  of  the  intellectual  faculties,  and  consequently,  that 
we  should,  as  to  a positive  religious  obligation,  attend  to  the  prop- 
er condition  of  the  body,  in  order  to  invigorate  the  mind,  and 
elevate  it  to  the  highest  degree  of  power  of  which  it  is  capable  in 
its  finite  existence.  “ The  simple  idea  of  a being  placed  by  Al- 
mighty wisdom,  within  a body,  in  order  to  employ  it  for  intelli- 
gence and  enjoyment,  would  appear  to  require  that  the  organization 
and  functions  of  that  body  should  be  so  exactly  adjusted  to  the 
being  using  them,  and  so  perfectly  coordinate  with  the  conditions 
of  external  nature,  that  no  disorder  might  by  possibility  occur,  and 
no  pain  be  experienced,  but  rather  that  every  perception  should  be 
pleasure,  and  every  action  happiness. 

The  highest  condition  of  man  on  earth,  therefore,  is  maintained 
only  in  a state  of  perfect  health — health  of  body  and  of  mind,  or, 
as  Horace  long  since  expressed  it,  1 mens  sana  in  corpore  sano 5 — 
the  man  spiritual  being  intimately  associated,  in  all  manifestations, 
with  the  man  physical.  Let  me,  therefore,  ask  your  attention  for 
a few  moments,  to  the  organization  of  the  body,  and  to  the  neces- 
sary conditions  of  its  health. 

The  human  body  is  a complex  machine,  composed  of  numerous 
elements,  imbued  with  a vital  principle,  and  the  habitation  of  an 
immortal  spiritual  existence.  If  we  take  this  living  machine,  and 
subject  its  gross  or  animal  portions  to  the  crucible  of  the  chemist, 
it  will  undergo  rapid  disintegration,  and  be  reduced  to  gaseous 
matter  and  ashes,  the  organic  compounds  being  volatilized  by  heat, 
the  inorganic  or  mineral  matters  constituting  the  residuum.  If  we 
carefully  collect  and  test  these  results,  they  will  be  found  to  con- 
sist of  carbon,  hydrogen,  oxygen,  nitrogen,  phosphorus,  sulphur, 
fluorine,  chlorine,  silicon,  sodium,  calcium,  potassium,  magnesium, 
iron,  and  occasionally  manganese.  These,  although  constituting 
less  than  a fourth  part,  numerically,  of  the  known  elements,  also 
compose  the  great  bulk  of  the  inorganic  world,  and  a few  of  them 
are  active  agents,  always  at  work,  in  modifying  the  constitution 
and  aspect  of  both  organic  and  inorganic  nature.  Both  animate 
and  inanimate  matter,  therefore,  claims  these  elements  by  common 
inheritance.  Widely  different  as  living  is  from  dead  matter,  when 
viewed  in  the  mass,  the  vitalized  element  yet  varies  in  no  sensible 
respect  from  the  inorganic,  and  indeed  living  matter  of  one  body 
must  be  previously  divested  of  life  before  it  can  enter  into  the 


c 


constitution  of  living  matter  in  another  body.  It  is  impossible, 
therefore,  to  distinguish  the  elements  of  living  from  those  of  dead 
matter,  and  perhaps  the  only  difference,  if  any,  is,  that  besides  be- 
ing  governed  by  the  laws  which  operate  on  matter  in  general,  the 
living  particles  are  such  by  virtue  of  being  perpetually  in  motion  ; 
so  soon  as  this  ceases  they  come  exclusively  under  the  influence 
of  the  non-vital  forces,  and  virtually  take  the  characteristics  of 
dead  matter.  The  elements  composing  the  human  body  all  come 
from  without — none  are  generated,  or  changed,  or  destroyed  with- 
in it — they  enter  it  through  appropriate  channels  from  the  inanimate 
world,  are  impressed  with  the  breath  of  life  within  it,  pass  on 
through  and  to  the  tissues  as  living  molecules,  and  after  subserving 
all  the  purposes  of  the  life-giving  and  life-sustaining  principle, 
again  become  effete,  are  thrown  off  through  certain  outlets  into  the 
external  world,  there,  though  not  changed,  to  be  re-fitted  for  the 
purpose  of  again  taking  the  same  round  in  organic  life.  Thus — 

“ O’er  the  wreck,  emerging  from  the  storm, 

Immortal  Nature  lifts  her  changeful  form, 

Mounts  from  her  funeral  pyre  on  wings  of  flame, 

And  soars  and  shines,  another  and  the  same.” 

In  one  sense,  therefore,  the  human  body  may  be  considered 
merely  as  an  organized  medium,  through  which  certain  elements 
of  nature  are  destined  to  pass,  and  in  their  passage  maintaining  the 
play  of  the  vital  functions,  and  undergoing  chemical  changes  es- 
sential to  the  integrity  of  the  organism.  The  transit  of  these  ele- 
ments is  proved  by  the  faet  that  the  weight  of  the  same  body  now, 
compared  with  its  weight  a year  hence,  may  remain  unchanged, 
notwithstanding  several  hundred  pounds  of  aliment  have  entered  it 
during  that  period. 

If  the  weight  of  material  passing  through  the  body  be  so  greatly 
in  excess  over  that  of  the  body  itself,  it  would  be  a matter  of  in- 
teresting enquiry  to  investigate  the  purposes  these  numerous  ele- 
ments subserve,  not  only  in  the  animal  organization,  but  also  in  the 
whole  economy  of  surrounding  nature.  This  law  of  excess  is 
not  only  maintained  in  the  adult,  but  is  also  manifest  during  the 
period  of  development  and  growth  from  the  earliest  point  of  or- 
ganic life  up  to  full  maturity,  and  ceases  only  with  vital  existence. 

When  it  is  considered  that  the  starting  point,  or  punctum  saliens 
of  the  human  body  is  a diminutive  germ,  only  to  be  seen  by  a good 
microscope  of  high  power,  and  hundreds  of  which  can  rest  on  the 


point  of  the  finest  needle,  it  is  not  difficult  to  be  convinced  that 
the  materials  which  enter  into  the  formation  of  that  body,  through- 
out all  its  stages,  from  the  primitive  germ  up  to  the  magnitude  of 
man,  must  come  from  exterior  sources.  We  find  these  in  the  air, 
in  the  water,  in  the  earth,  and  in  organic  nature,  and  to  know  our- 
selves aright  it  is  requisite  for  us  to  study  these  sources  of  our 
organization. 

The  air  we  breathe,  whether  viewed  as  a mechanical  or  chemi- 
cal combination,  is  mainly  composed  of  oxygen  and  nitrogen, 
containing  also  varying  proportions  of  carbon,  in  the  form  of  car- 
bonic acid,  and  hydrogen,  in  the  form  of  water  and  ammonia,  and 
is  the  recipient  likewise  of  all  other  volatilized  products  from  the 
earth’s  surface.  These,  you  will  observe,  are  all  elements  already 
named  as  belonging  to  the  human  body,  and,  as  we  shall  soon  see, 
have  an  important  relation  to  its  welfare.  This  air,  likewise,  pos- 
sesses physical  properties,  and  is  combined  with  ever-changing 
quantities  of  heat,  electricity  and  light,  whose  hygienic  influences 
are  incalculably  great. 

The  water  we  drink,  and  without  which  the  organism  could  not 
be  maintained,  consists  of  oxygen  and  hydrogen,  both  elements  of 
the  human  body.  As  a vehicle  of  heat,  with  which  it  is  always 
associated,  it  bears  important  relations  to  the  animal  economy. 

In  the  earth  we  find  all  the  elements  that  are  contained  in  the 
air  and  in  the  water,  besides  many  others — indeed,  all  the  elements 
yet  discovered,  exist  within  its  bosom.  Those,  however,  which  it 
contributes  to  the  human  body,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  are 
phosphorus,  sulphur,  chlorine,  fluorine,  silicon,  sodium,  calcium, 
potassium,  magnesium,  iron  and  manganese.  It  is  also  associated 
with  the  imponderable  bodies  in  such  a way  as  to  have  a bearing 
upon  the  health  of  the  human  body. 

Organic  nature,  vegetable  and  animal,  contain  principally  the 
same  elements  as  does  the  human  body,  and  its  intimate  connection 
with  our  organization  is  seen  in  the  fact  of  its  being  the  grand 
source  of  nutriment. 

Here  then  are  air,  water,  earth  and  organic  matter,  constituting 
the  whole  of  terrestrial  creation,  and  consequently  embracing  the 
elements  of  the  human  organism,  and  it  is  the  appropriation,  ag- 
gregation, and  arrangement  of  these  elements  that  give  to  man  his 
peculiar  constitution  and  physical  form.  Like  the  formative  pro- 
cess in  the  solid  rock,  atom  is  superimposed  upon  atom,  until  the 


8 


infinitessimal  invisible  point  of  living  matter,  acting  as  a nucleus 
in  drawing  to  itself  the  nutrient  elements  around,  and  with  a pow- 
er of  incorporating  them  with  its  own  substance,  and  of  combining 
them  into  the  proximate  principles  that  may  serve  as  the  materials 
for  its  development,  it  gradually  increases  in  size,  until  it  is  unfold- 
ed into  the  beautiful  configuration  of  the  human  form.  Still,  thus 
viewed,  man,  soulless  man,  man  physical,  stands  as  the  solid  rock, 
as  the  primitive  statue  of  day  fashioned  by  the  Hand  of  the  Al- 
mighty. But  there  is  breathed  into  its  nostrils  a u breath  of  life,” 
which,  quickening  every  fibril,  causes  the  crimson  fountain  to  gush 
through  every  avenue,  and  man  becomes  a living  being.  The  vital 
principle,  animating  these  elements,  is  imbued  with  the  Spirit  of 
God,  which  becomes  a more  important  nucleus  in  attraeting  ele- 
ments of  a less  gross  material,  some  characterizing  animal  nature 
in  general,  but  others  mysteriously  connected  alone  with  humani- 
ty. Like  the  elements  of  physical  organization,  those  of  the  spir- 
itual come  from  without.  We  now  have  presented  to  us  man 
physical,  man  vital,  man  spiritual.  He  now  stands  forth  as  the 
Lord  of  creation,  beautifully  and  wonderfully  made,  an  atom  in  his 
origin,  which,  by  exterior  and  innate  influences,  has  progressed 
into  the  perfect  man,  the  human  form  divine. 

Man,  therefore,  as  he  stands  on  earth,  is  essentially  a compound 
of  flesh  and  spirit,  and  as  the  spirit,  at  least  so  far  as  our  senses 
are  concerned,  has  no  manifestation,  save  in  connexion  with  mat- 
ter, the  human  body,  during  life,  must  be  considered  as  the  proper 
temple  of  the  soul,  and  consequently  must  be  maintained  in  per- 
fect order  to  accommodate  its  previous  tenant,  and  to  enable  it  to 
carry  out  all  the  noble  purposes  designed  by  the  creator.  Let  us, 
then,  examine  into  the  requirements  necessary  to  give  strength, 
health  and  vigor  to  the  bodily  organs  and  powers,  as  essential  to 
the  perfect  manifestation  of  mind. 

The  blood,  which  is  alive,  in  circulating  through  the  living  body, 
is  the  vehicle  of  life  to  every  atom  of  our  organization.  Every 
particle  of  every  bone,  muscle,  membrane,  nerve  and  vessel,  and 
every  drop  of  the  various  fluids  of  the  body,  must  have  pre-exist- 
ed within  this  fountain  of  life.  It  must,  therefore,  necessarily  sub- 
serve all  the  purposes  of  nutrition,  and  furnish  materials  to  the 
secreting  organs,  and  after  yielding  up  the  elements  necessary  to 
these  objects,  it  again  becomes  charged  with  the  effete  molecules 
arising  from  the  degeneration  of  the  tissues,  and  conveying  them 


9 


to  the  several  outlets  of  the  system,  the  organs  of  excretion  throw 
them  off  into  the  exterior  world.  Hence  arises  a constant  necessi- 
ty for  fresh  supplies,  which  are  furnished  through  the  functions  of 
digestion  and  absorption.  Yet  the  blood,  although  a living  fluid, 
has  no  power  to  move  itself,  or  to  alter  the  quantity  and  quality  of 
its  own  ingredients.  Its  circulation  is  dependent  upon  two  princi- 
pal forces,  located  at  the  two  extremes  of  the  vessels,  the  one  pro- 
pelling, and  the  other  drawing  the  circulating  fluid,  while  its  vari- 
ations in  quantity  and  quality  are  wholly  owing  to  other  agents 
always  in  operation.  One  of  the  most  active  of  these  agents  is 
the  oxygen  of  the  air,  inspired  by  the  lungs,  and  which  being  ab- 
sorbed by  the  blood,  is  carried  by  it  to  the  distant  tissues,  and  act- 
ing on  their  elements,  produces  innumerable  and  recognizable 
changes  throughout  the  entire  body.  Respiration,  therefore,  the 
first  and  last  act  of  separate  existence,  is  a function  of  great  mo- 
ment to  the  maintenance  of  health.  By  it  the  blood  and  air  are 
both  made  to  meet  in  the  air  cells  of  the  lungs,  intercepted  only 
by  a thin  membrane,  which  does  not  interfere  with  the  physical 
and  chemical  action  of  these  fluids  upon  each  other.  It  is  worthy 
of  remark,  too,  that  the  circulation  of  the  blood  through  the  lungs 
is  of  the  most  simple  kind,  the  vessels  being  free  from  valves, 
unaffected  by  atmospheric  pressure,  and  uninfluenced  by  muscular 
contractions.  It  is,  also,  worthy  of  remark  that  the  blood,  flow- 
ing from  the  heart  to  the  lungs,  i$  unfit  for  nutrition  until  it  meets 
with  the  air  taken  in  by  respiration.  By  their  contact  the  compo- 
sition of  both  becomes  changed.  The  air  is  warmed,  the  propor- 
tion of  carbonic  acid  and  watery  vapor  is  increased,  and  that  of 
oxygen  diminished.  Consequently  heat,  carbonic  acid,  and  water 
escape  from  the  lungs,  while  oxygen  is  taken  in.  With  regard  to 
the  blood  its  most  obvious  change,  in  passing  through  the  lungs, 
is  in  color,  changing  from  a dark  crimson  to  a bright  scarlet,  from 
venous  to  arterial  blood,  from  a poisonous  to  a nutrient  fluid.  This 
change  in  color  is  important  merely  as  an  indication  of  essential 
alterations  in  its  composition,  such  as  an  increase  in  its  tempera- 
ture, its  more  rapid  and  firm  coagulation,  its  accumulation  of  oxy- 
gen, and  its  loss  of  carbonic  acid  and  of  nitrogen.  The  oxygen 
extracted  from  the  air  is  carried  by  the  arterial  blood  from  thelung3 
back  to  the  heart,  and  thence  to  the  various  parts  of  the  body,  and 
thus  is  brought  into  direct  contact  and  intimate  relation  with  the 
elementary  molecules  of  the  tissues.  With  these  elements  it  may 
9 


10 


co-operate  in  the  process  of  nutrition,  in  the  production  of  animal 
heat,  and  in  the  removal  of  disintegrated  and  effete  matter.  A large 
proportion  of  these  worn-out  elements  consists  of  carbon  and  hy- 
drogen, which  take  the  form  of  carbonic  acid  and  water,  by  uniting 
with  the  oxygen,  and  being  absorbed  into  the  venous  blood,  are 
conveyed  by  it  to  the  heart,  and  thence  propelled  to  the  lungs,  to 
be  discharged  again  into  the  atmosphere.  When  the  process  of 
respiration  is  stopped,  the  circulation  of  blood  through  the  lungs 
is  retarded,  carbonic  acid  accumulates  in  the  blood  and  the  tissues, 
and  asphyxia  and  death  are  the  necessary  consequences. 

The  extrication  of  carbonic  acid,  and  the  absorption  of  oxygen, 
are  not  less  essential  to  the  continuance  of  life  in  the  production 
of  animal  heat,  and  the  maintenance  of  a uniform  temperature  cf 
the  body,  both  of  which  are  intimately  associated  with  the  process 
of  respiration,  and  certain  chemical  processes  going  on  in  the 
system,  modified  to  a certain  extent  by  the  influence  of  the  nervous 
system.  1 mentioned  that  the  oxygen  inspired  is  most  probably 
combined  in  the  systemic  capillaries,  or  minute  vessels,  with  the 
carbon  and  hydrogen  of  disintegrated  and  absorbed  tissues,  and  I 
may  add,  with  certain  elements  of  food  which  have  not  been  con- 
verted into  tissues.  In  these  processes  heat  must  be  continually 
produced  in  the  animal  body,  on  the  very  same  principle  that  it  is 
generated  by  the  burning  of  a candle  or  the  combustion  of  our 
fires.  And  since  the  heat  thus  arising  will  be  extricated  wherever 
the  blood  is  carried,  every  part  of  the  body  will  be  heated  equally, 
or  so  nearly  equally,  that  the  rapidity  of  the  circulation  will  quick- 
ly remove  any  diversities  of  temperature. 

As  the  supply  of  blood  depends  upon  digestion  and  absorption, 
so  a necessary  relation,  in  the  maintenance  of  perfect  health,  must 
exist  between  the  oxygen  inspired,  and  the  quality  and  quantity  of 
the  food  taken  into  the  stomach.  In  the  northern  regions,  and  in 
the  cold  seasons  of  more  southern  climes,  the  quantity  of  food 
consumed  is  greater,  and  its  quality  more  carbonaceous,  than  in 
opposite  conditions  of  climate  and  seasons,  because  larger  quanti- 
ties of  oxygen  are  breathed  from  the  cold  dense  air,  and  more  heat 
is  required  to  be  evolved  to  supply  the  body  with  that  of  which  it 
is  robbed  by  the  external  cold.  Digestion,  therefore,  has  for  its 
object  the  preparation  of  our  food,  rendering  it  capable  of  absorp- 
tion into  the  blood,  and  fitting  it  for  the  formation  and  repair  of 
the  tissues,  and,  in  common  with  the  respiratory  function,  also  for 


11 


the  production  of  animal  heat.  The  use  of  food,  therefore,  having 
these  two  objects,  the  various  articles  of  diet  have  been  divided  in- 
to two  great  classes,  corresponding  with  these  objects,  viz  : — nitro- 
genous and  non-nitrogenous  foods*  The  former  is  converted  into 
the  albumen  or  fibrine  of  the  blood,  and  subsequently  assimilated 
by  the  tissues,  and  hence  called  also  nutritive  or  plastic  principles  ; 
and  the  latter  being  employed  in  the  production  of  heat.,  is  called 
calorifacient , and,  having  this  power  in  consequence  of  the  process 
of  respiration,  also  respiratory  food.  This  classification  differs 
from  the  more  easy  division  into  animal  and  vegetable,  and  is  pre- 
ferred to  it  in  being  more  philosophical,  as  it  is  applicable  to  either 
divisions  of  organic  nature,  the  nutritive  and  respiratory  principles 
existing  in  both  the  animal  and  vegetable  kingdoms.  These  prin- 
ciples being  identical,  the  human  body  may  be  supported  upon  a 
diet  exclusively  vegetable,  or  exclusively  animal,  but  the  structure 
of  the  teeth  and  of  other  parts,  as  well  as  observation  and  experi- 
ence, seem  to  indicate  that  man  is  intended  to  be  omniverous. — 
Animals  fed  upon  grass  and  herbs  exclusively,  form  flesh  and  blood 
in  every  respect  like  those  belonging  to  the  carnivora,  which  live 
only  on  animal  matter,  a circumstance  strongly  corroborative  of 
the  fact  that  vegetables  and  animals  contain  alimentary  principles 
identically  the  same.  Experiment  and  analysis,  however,  also 
prove  that  albumen,  caseine,  and  fibrine,  which  constitute  the  pro- 
teinaceous compounds,  and  which  are  the  principal  materials  in 
animal  food,  exist  also  in  vegetables,  and  hence  vegetables  can 
contribute  to  the  formation  of  blood  and  tissue. 

Of  the  elements  before  noticed  as  constituting  the  human  body, 
four  of  them,  oxygen,  hydrogen,  carbon  and  nitrogen,  are  called 
essential , and  yet  organic  compounds,  composed  only  of  these  el- 
ements, cannot  be  nutritious.  They  require  the  presence  of  the 
incidental  elements,  phosphorus,  sulphur,  iron,  &.C.,  and  also  of 
compounds  which  are  naturally  combined  with  them.  Neither 
can  life  be  maintained  by  the  exclusive  use  of  either  of  the  alimen- 
tary principles,  a mixture  of  nitrogenous  and  non-nitrogenous  sub- 
stances, with  the  inorganic  principles  contained  in  them  being 
essential. 

The  food,  after  having  been  introduced  into  the  stomach  and 
alimentary  passages,  undergoes  certain  changes,  and  is  then  absorb- 
ed into  the  circulating  system,  to  be  distributed  by  the  blood  to 
every  part  of  the  living  body,  and  after  contributing  to  the  wants 


of  the  system,  again  disappears  from  it.  Now  it  is  a remarkable 
fact  that  the  body  maintains,  through  a series  of  years,  the  same 
features,  size,  form,  and  even  weight,  although,  during  all  this  pe- 
riod, its  several  portions  are  continually  changing — every  particle 
decaying  and  being  removed,  and  again  replaced  by  the  deposit  of 
new  ones,  which,  in  turn,  also  die  and  pass  away.  This  does  not 
apply  merely  to  the  geneiai  similarity  of  the  entire  body,  but  every 
part  and  organ,  as  much  as  the  whole,  exactly  maintains  its  form 
and  composition  in  the  issue  of  the  changes  continually  taking 
place  among  its  particles. 

In  order  to  accomplish  the  process  of  nutrition  perfectly,  the 
most  important  conditions,  in  addition  to  good  air  and  diet,  are  a 
proper  state  and  composition  of  the  blood,  a regular  supply  of  it, 
a certain  influence  of  the  nervous  system,  and  a natural  state  of  the 
parts  to  be  nourished.  If  any  one  of  these  conditions  be  absent 
or  defective,  the  process  is  liable  to  be  disarranged,  and  the  various 
diseases  arising  from  impaired  nutrition  appear  to  be  due  to  their 
failure,  more  than  to  the  imperfection  of  the  process  itself. 

We  now  come  to  a point  in  the  physical  organization,  more  im- 
mediately associated  with  the  mind,  viz:  the  brain.  The  brain  and 
nervous  system  are  governed  by  the  same  laws  of  nutrition  as  oth- 
er parts  of  the  body,  and  like  them,  have  their  functions  impaired 
from  similar  causes.  The  mind  acting  through  the  functions  of 
the  brain,  the  manifestions  of  the  former  must  correspond  with  the 
conditions  of  the  latter.  When  the  brain  is  in  a state  of  perfect 
health,  the  mind  perceives  and  retains  sensations ; performs  acts  of 
will ; holds  impressions  of  sensible  things,  and  revives  them  in 
subjective  sensations  and  ideas  ; and  it  manifests  itself  in  its  higher 
emotions  and  feelings,  and  in  its  faculties  of  judgment,  understand- 
ing, memory,  reflection,  induction,  imagination,  &c.,  the  mind  act- 
ing thus  in  and  through  this  organ  in  all  operations  having  immedi- 
ate relation  to  external  and  sensible  things.  This  view  of  the 
action  of  the  mind,  perfectly  harmonizes  with  its  other  and  higher 
faculties,  by  which  it  has  attained,  or  may  attain,  to  knowledge  su- 
perior to  the  senses.  I mean  the  conscience  and  the  pure  reason , 
which  are  reached  through  other  channels  than  the  organs  of  sense, 
and  exercised  independently  of  the  brain. 

Although  the  brain  is  the  organ  of  the  mind,  there  still  may  be 
supposed  to  exist  an  immaterial  principle,  independent  of  organic 
structure,  yet  incapable  of  external  manifestation,  or  of  external 


13 


impressions,  save  through  the  medium  of  the  brain  and  nervous 
system.  These  organs  may  be  injured  or  diseased,  and  this  prin- 
ciple would  remain  unchanged,  although  its  acts,  as  connected  with 
them,  might  be  hindered  or  disturbed,  and  yet  it  might  well  be 
supposed  that  the  size  of  these  organs,  and  the  power  with  which 
the  several  faculties  of  this  principle  are  manifested,  would  bear  a 
direct  relation  to  each  other. 

Abundant  as  is  the  evidence  that  the  brain  is  the  organ  of  those 
parts  of  the  mind  which  are  concerned  with  the  things  of  sense,  its 
connexion  with  those  powers  that  are  occupied  with  things  above 
the  senses,  is  much  more  obscure  and  doubtful.  “’The  reason  or 
spirit  of  man  which  has  knowledge  of  divine  truths,  and  the  con- 
science, with  its  natural  discernment  of  moral  right  and  wrong, 
cannot  be  proved  to  have  any  connection  with  the  brain.  Jn  the 
complex  life  we  live,  they  are,  indeed,  often  exercised  in  questions 
in  which  the  intellect  or  some  other  lower  mental  faculty  is  also 
concerned ; and  in  all  such  cases,  men’s  actions  are  determined  as 
good  or  bad,  according  to  the  degree  in  which  they  are  guided  by 
the  higher  or  by  the  lower  faculties.  But  the  reason  and  the  con- 
science must  be  exercised  independently  of  the  brain,  when  they 
are  engaged  in  the  contemplation  of  things  which  have  not  been 
learned  through  the  senses,  or  through  any  intellectual  considera- 
tion of  sensible  things.  All  that  a man  feels  in  himself,  and  can 
observe  in  others,  of  the  subjects  in  which  his  reason  and  his  con- 
science are  most  naturally  engaged  ; of  the  mode  in  which  they 
are  exercised,  and  the  disturbance  to  which  they  are  liable  by  the 
perceptions  or  ideas  of  sensible  things;  of  the  manner  and  sources 
of  their  instruction;  of  their  natural  superiority  and  supremacy 
over  all  the  other  faculties  of  the  mind  ; and  of  his  consciousness 
of  responsibility  for  their  use ; all  teach  him  that  these  faculties 
are  wholly  different,  not  in  degree  only,  nor  as  different  members 
of  one  order,  but  in  kind  and  very  nature  from  all  else  of  which 
he  is  composed;  all,  if  rightly  considered,  must  incline  him  to  re- 
ceive and  hold  fast  the  clearer  truth  which  Revelation  has  given  of 
the  nature  and  destinies  of  the  spirit  to  which  these,  his  highest 
faculties,  belong.” 

I have  thus  presented  a general  view  of  the  structure  and  func- 
tions of  the  human  body,  avoiding  technical  language  as  much  as 
possible,  in  order  that  the  intimate  relation  between  intellect  and 
organization  might  be  readily  comprehended.  I cannot  pretend,  in 


a limited  discourse  like  this,  to  illustrate  in  detail  the  immense  in- 
fluence exercised  by  the  mere  physical  condition  over  the  develop- 
ment and  power  of  the  mind.  If  I can,  by  a few  general  proposi- 
tions, impress  upon  you  the  importance  of  this  relation  and  sym- 
pathy, and  can  persuade  you  to  give  to  the  subject  close  ai  d 
thoughtful  consideration,  it  is  all  I aim  at. 

The  maintenance  of  a proper  balance  between  the  several  por- 
tions of  the  human  body,  and  between  the  body  and  external  na- 
ture, is  essential  to  the  existence  of  high  health  — health  of  body 
and  of  mind.  Every  organ  has  its  appropriate  function,  and  the 
exercise  of  that  function,  within  certain  limits,  maintains  that  organ 
in  a state  of  health,  and  so  far  it  contributes  towards  the  welfare  of 
the  whole  structqre.  But  if  over-exercised,  that  organ  in  the  same 
proportion,  is  injured,  and  the  general  system  sympathises  with  the 
derangement.  It  is  a law  of  nature  that  exercise  must  alternate 
with  repose.  The  stomach  is  intended  for  the  reception  and  diges- 
tion of  food,  and  yet  it  would  be  fatal  to  be  always  cramming  food 
into  it.  The  muscles  are  appointed  for  every  movement  of  .the 
body,  and  yet  the  most  powerful  frame  would  sink  under  uninter- 
rupted action.  The  brain  is  the  organ  of  the  mind,  but  an  over- 
strained brain  is  unfit  for  intellectual  manifestations.  And  thus  if 
is  with  every  organ,  and  with  the  aggregate  of  organs  as  exempli- 
fied in  the  whole  man.  Activity  and  repose  must  succeed  each 
other.  Both  are  essential  to  perfect  health. 

The  physiological  exposition  of  the  human  body,  just  made  to 
you,  renders  it  sufficiently  evident  that  the  healthful  play  of  its 
organs  must  mainly  depend  upon  agents  exterior  to  and  surround- 
ing it,  and  that  consequently  the  study  of  these  agents  is  equally 
as  important  and  vital.  It  may  be  said  without  hyperbole,  that  the 
life  of  man  is  dependent  upon  that  of  a blade  of  grass.,  for  the  in- 
fluence of  vegetation  upon  the  air  is  essential  to  the  support  of 
animal  existence.  The  air  we  inspire  must  be  pure,  to  maintain 
healthful  action,  and  yet  the  respiratory  process  is  one  of  the  great 
causes  of  the  deterioration  of  air.  Hence  a portion  of  confined 
air,  originally  pure,  may  thus,  by  a vital  process,  be  soon  converted 
to  an  actual  poison  to  the  human  system.  This  result  cannot  oc- 
cur in  the  open  air,  as  every  tender  leaf  rapidly  consumes  this 
poison,  converts  it  to  its  own  substance,  and  returns  in  exchange  a 
proportionate  quantity  of  the  life-sustaining  element.  The  import- 
ance, therefore,  of  exercise  in  the  open  air,  the  necessity  of  thor- 


ough  venli'ation  in  our  buildings,  and  especially  in  our  sleeping 
apartments,  and  a watchful  regard  to  architectural  arrangements  for 
that  purpose,  become  obvious.  Air  is  an  indispensable  condition 
of  human  life,  not  only  in  its  constituent  parts,  but  also  in  its  phy- 
sical properties,  influencing  all  the  vital  functions.  A healthy  per- 
son exercising  in  pure  air,  increases  the  vigor  of  his  circulation, 
every  organ  is  excited  to  healthful  action,  the  vital  air  is  more 
abundantly  supplied  to  the  blood,  and  the  brain  is  thus  invigorated 
by  its  appropriate  stimulus.  tt  Light,  warmth,  and  life,  are  thus 
transmitted  to  the  nerves ; the  soul  is  put  into  a suitable  relation 
to  the  elements  of  this  glorious  world  ; all  the  senses  are  rendered 
fitter  for  their  proper  service  ; the  mind  becomes  alert,  and  the 
measure  of  earthly  — that  is  to  say,  animal — happiness  is  full.” — 
Exercise  in  the  open  air  also  implies  exposure  to  light,  the  influence 
of  which  is  also  necessary  to  the  development,  form  and  health  of 
organized  bodies.  When  deprived  of  this  vivifying  stimulus,  both 
animals  and  plants  become  weak  and  depraved  in  their  organization. 
Dark  habitations,  narrow  streets,  little  windows,  and  every  thing 
that  excludes  light  from  our  dwelling  places,  are  faults  in  archi- 
tecture, contravening  the  laws  of  health.  w Action,  life,  feeling, 
thought,  are  all  associated  with  light.” 

I have  said  that  exercise  must  alternate  with  repose.  Repose  of 
the  body  favors  the  action  of  the  mind.  Intense  thought  and  re- 
flection shut  out  the  world,  and  restrain  the  motions  of  the  body, 
and  however  favorable  to  imagination  slight  exercise  may  be,  yet 
the  mind  cannot  be  concentrated  in  the  midst  of  violent  agitations 
of  the  body.  Still,  in  our  schemes  of  education,  we  should  be 
careful  that  they  embody  sunshine  and  breeze,  nerve  and  muscle, 
as  well  as  books;  that  mental  application  should  be  regularly  in- 
terchanged with  exercise  in  the  open  air,  and  entire  exemption  front 
study,  lest  the  body  become  enfeebled  and  diseased,  and  the  mind 
distorted  in  all  its  faculties.  The  proper  object  of  education  should 
be  to  develop  the  powers  of  both  body  and  mind,  and  to  adjust 
their  equilibrium  by  appropriate  exercises,  which  expand  both  mind 
and  body  into  full  beauty  and  strength. 

“ Education  applies  to  the  whole  man,  not  to  a part  only  of  his 
nature.  It  takes  in  the  whole  character,  the  whole  life.  We  are 
complex,  not  simple  beings.  Complexity  of  structure  is  that  which 
distinguishes  man  ; the  disembodied  spirits  above  him,  the  animals 
below  him,  have  not  so  various  a being  as  his.  Man’s  life  is  man- 


16 


ifold ; he  has  a bodily  organization,  a mental  frame,  a moral  con- 
stitution ; he  has  senses,  and  intelligence,  and  a soul.  They  must 
all  be  educated,  and  educated  contemporaneously  and  harmoniously. 
He  who  trains  the  physical  frame,  must  remember  that  it  is  not  a 
brute  that  he  is  teaching  to  move  with  freedom  and  grace.  He 
whose  office  it  is  to  inform  and  discipline  the  intellect,  must  re- 
member that  mysterious  connections  bind  the  faculties  which  are 
under  his  care  to  a frail  body,  and  vet  more  mysterious  sympathies 
draw  those  faculties  towards  an  Infinite  object.  While  he  who 
attempts  to  assist  the  soul  in  its  progress  towards  perfection,  should 
remember  that  neither  asceticism,  nor  inward  contemplation  alone, 
can  give  to  the  spiritual  exercises  of  such  a being  as  man  the  char- 
acter which,  for  his  own  good,  they  should  bear.  To  educate  one, 
is  to  consult  for  his  whole  capacity,  and  his  whole  advantage, — to 
teach  him  and  to  help  him  to  become  what  he  was  meant  to  be  by 
his  creator.” 

From  what  was  stated  respecting  the  nutrition  of  the  body,  it 
will  be  understood  that  there  are  other  organs  besides  the  lungs 
and  limbs;  and  other  agents  besides  air  and  light,  which  have  to 
assist  in  maintaining  the  proper  balance  of  the  functions  of  the  hu- 
man body.  It  has  been  observed  that  “the  study  of  the  stomach 
is  the  study  of  morality,”  and  that  “the  food  has  a higher  bearing 
on  the  mind  than  on  the  physical  frame  of  man.”  “The  comfort 
and  efficiency  of  intellect,  nay,  the  moral  perception,  manliness, 
and  virtue  of  the  mind  depend  greatly  on  our  use  of  aliment;  and 
in  the  very  means  by  which  we  sustain  the  strength  of  the  body, 
or  most  directly  disorder  its  functions,  we,  at  the  same  time,  either 
fortify  or  disable  the  brain,  so  that  we  shall  be  qualified  to  use  our 
faculties  with  advantage,  or  else,  amid  the  confusion  of  our  sensa- 
tions, be  rendered  incapable  of  rational  attention.”  Habitual  mod- 
eration in  eating  and  drinking,  as  it  best  contributes  to  the  health 
and  development  of  the  body,  is  essential  to  the  proper  manifesta- 
tion of  intellect.  Gluttony  and  starvation  are  equally  injurious  to 
both  mind  and  body.  A happy  medium  maintains  the  blood  in  its 
best  condition  for  the  purposes  of  the  mind  while  intently  acting 
on  the  biain.  Neither  is  sameness  of  diet  congenial  to  the  devel- 
opment and  support  of  the  mental  faculties,  particularly  when  as- 
sociated with  too  restricted  a mode  of  life.  It  has  been  observed 
by  a phylosophical  writer,  that  probably  as  the  intellect  of  man 
cannot  be  fully  developed  without  free  intercourse  with  every  va- 


riety  of  mind,  nor  that  of  society  without  international  commerce, 
so  neither  can  the  body  attain  and  preserve  its  best  state  without 
occasional  change  in  the  kind  of  food,  such  as  the  diversities  of 
climate  and  of  season  are  intended  to  produce.  Abstemiousness 
and  occasional  fasting,  when  not  too  prolonged  or  conjoined  with 
much  muscular  exertion,  are  also  favorable  to  mental  effort,  and 
invigorate  both  mind  and  body,  besides  being  a better  remedy  than 
medicine  when  the  circulation  is  oppressed,  either  by  disease  or 
repletion. 

Every  thing  that  excites  or  depresses  the  nerve-power,  disturbs, 
to  that  extent,  the  equilibrium  between  mind  and  body,  and  inter- 
feres with  perfect  health.  All  stimulants,  intoxicating  agents,  and 
narcotics,  which  include  fermented  liquors  and  tobacco,  habitually 
and  unnecessarily  used,  must,  therefore,  prove  injurious,  by  acting 
directly  on  the  brain,  on  the  ganglionic  system  of  nerves,  on  the 
spinal  cord,  or  on  the  nervous  system  generally.  All  these  sub- 
stances have  been  proved  by  analysis  to  contain  more  carbon  than 
hydrogen,  and  hence,  also,  seem  to  interfere  with  the  proper  vitali- 
zation  of  the  blood  by  respiration,  and,  as  a consequence,  impair 
the  tone  of  both  body  and  mind. 

But  I am  admonished  by  the  time  I have  already  occupied,  that 
I must  bring  this  address  to  a close.  It  is  impossible  to  embrace 
precise  details  in  a subject  so  extensive,  and  in  a period  of  time  so 
limited.  1 have  merely  endeavored  to  lay  down  some  prominent 
data,  and  impress  them  upon  your  attention  in  such  a way  as  to 
induce  you  to  ascertain  their  final  results  by  the  study  of  Anatomy, 
Chemistry,  Physiology  and  Hygiene,  in  order  to  a right  management 
of  your  physical  and  mental  being.  And,  is  there  any  thing  more 
worthy  of  study  than  youi  own  nature,  the  acquisition  of  that 
knowledge  tvhich  comprehends  the  highest  condition  of  man,  and. 
enables  him  to  fulfill,  under  Divine  guidance,  his  exalted  and  holy 
destinies  ? 

Health  and  strength  are  necessary  elements  of  worldly  prosper- 
ity, and  are  intimately  associated  with  intellectual  development  and 
power.  They  are  the  foundation  of  all  labor,  and  thus  appear  as 
the  only  real  capital  of  a country.  As  the  temporal  prospects  of  a 
family  may  be  affected  by  the  physical  disability  of  its  members, 
so  the  condition  of  a state  or  nation  may  be  influenced  by  the  de- 
caying powers  of  its  citizens.  Dr.  Howe,  in  his  report  on  idiocy^ 
to  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts,  aptly  remarks  that  “the 
health  and  vigor  of  the  body  may  be  compared  to  a man’s  capital ; 


3 0 


12  105909771 


26 

it  is  a trust  fun'd  given  to  him  by  the  Creator,  of  which  he  may  ex- 
pend the  interest  in  the  natural  enjoyments  of  life,  but  he  cannot 
encroach  in  the  least  on  the  principal,  without  real  loss.  Every 
debauch,  every  excess,  every  undue  indulgence,  is  at  the  expense 
of  this  capital.  A rich  man  may  throw  away  cents  or  dollars,  and 
not  feel  it,  — but  he  is  really  poorer  for  it ; and  a young  man  with 
a large  capital  of  health,  may  daily  throw  away  part  of  it,  and  still 
feel  strong  ; but  every  over-stimulant  to  the  nerves,  every  overload 
to  the  stomach,  is  a cent  or  a dollar  taken  from  his  capital ; feel  it, 
or  not  feel  it,  he  is  poorer  for  it.” 

If,  then,  the  intellectual  faculties  and  the  exercise  of  the  soul, 
depend  so  much  upon  the  state  of  the  organization,  and,  in  attend- 
ing to  external  impressions,  be  influenced  by  the  condition  of  the 
senses  and  their  connections,  and  these  again  by  the  state  of  the 
blood  and  the  nervous  power,  physical  education  assumes  an  im- 
portance which  appeals  strongly  to  the  political  economist,  the 
statesman,  the  philanthropist.  “The  vigorous  growth  of  the  body, 
its  strength  and  its  activity,  its  powers  of  endurance,  and  its  length 
of  life,  on  the  one  hand;  and  dwarfishness,  sluggishness,  infirmity 
and  premature  death,  on  the  other,  are  all  the  subjects  of  unchange- 
able laws.  These  laws  are  ordained  of  God ; but  the  knowledge 
of  them  is  left  to  our  diligence,  and  the  observance  of  them  to  our 
free  agency.  These  laws  are  very  few;  they  are  so  simple  that 
all  can  understand  them,  and  so  beautiful  that  the  pleasure  of  con-  * 
templating  them,  even  independent  of  their  utility,  is  a tenfold  re- 
ward for  all  the  labor  of  their  acquisition.”  They  apply  to  every 
stage  and  condition  of  life,  from  its  earliest  dawn,  up  through  child- 
hood, youth,  and  manhood,  and  down  through  old  age  and  decrep- 
itude, to  the  grave  itself.  They  embrace  the  relations  which  the 
human  body  has  with  the  atmosphere — its  barometric,  its  thermom- 
etric, its  hygromelric  conditions ; with  animal  and  vegetable  efflu- 
via and  miasmata ; with  electricity,  light,  sound  ; with  food  — its 
quality  and  quantity,  and  periods  and  modes  of  eating  and  drink- 
ing, and  of  abstinence  and  fasting;  with  exercise  and  rest;  with 
vigilance  and  sleep  ; with  clothing  ; with  the  sensations,  affections 
and  passions ; and  indeed  with  every  thing  that  may  either  induce 
or  avert  disease.  “ When  the  religious  man  reflects,  that  our  bod- 
ies are  God’s  workmanship,  he  sees  that  the  laws  impressed  upon 
them  can  be  no  less  than  God’s  laws.  If  these  laws,  then,  are 
God’s  laws,  we  are  bound  to  recognize  and  obey  them.  V^e  arc 
bound  to  obey  a law  which  God  has  impressed  upon  the  body,  on 
the  same  principle  that  we  are  bound  to  obey*  a law  which- I$f  has 
impressed  upon  the  soul.” 


